1. Field of the Invention
When knitted fabric is produced and is bleached, dyed or otherwise treated it generally emerges in tubular form, twisted like a rope, and in a wet condition. Residual shrinkage in the fabric for manufacture of garments must be controlled within acceptable limits. Tumble dryers are popular in homes and they present a difficult challenge to residual shrinkage in knitted garments. Washing and tumble drying of knitted garments at home normally eliminates about ninety-eight percent (98%) of all potential knit shrinkage, yielding two percent (2%) of residual shrinkage. So if a culprit knitted fabric has more than two percent (2%) of residual shrinkage, trouble brews. After a garment is manufactured from the culprit fabric, when a consumer washes it and puts it into his or her tumble dryer, a moment of truth arrives. The tumble dryer further shrinks the garment down to two percent (2%) residual shrinkage: The garment reduces in size and is apt to fit its wearer like a sausage in its casing.
A garment manufacturer can compensate for anticipated excess residual shrinkage by oversizing garments so as to be ready for tumble dryer shrinkage. But an oversized garment then does not fit properly before it is washed and tumble dried. Further the oversized garment frequently becomes distorted because its shrinkage cannot be controlled uniformly throughout.
In producing and treating wet knitted fabrics many attempts have been made to control residual shrinkage in garments made therefrom by duplicating conditions of the tumble dryer in production of the fabric. Yet action of the tumble dryer on a garment, which in essence is a short piece of the fabric, differs from action on a long web of the fabric which travels continuously through an industrial knitting and/or converting mill. Even though prior industrial dryers have improved, in response to the tumble dryer challenge, the prior art industrial dryers still do not reduce residual shrinkage as much as a consumer's tumble dryer at home does on finished garments.
Another approach to control of residual shrinkage in the garment comprises compacting the fabric when it is almost dry. However such strategic almost-dry compacting can be difficult to perform, particularly when significant shrinkage has to be achieved. When performing the strategic almost-dry compacting the fabric has to be handled very carefully to prevent fall-out of the shrinkage prior to cutting.